On the twenty-fourth day, under the moonless night, the ambush lay in wait; evil traces lurked deep in the forest.
On this moonless night, heaven and earth were plunged into darkness. Thick blackness seeped across the wilderness outside Maple Forest County like ink. Only the biting autumn wind howled past, stirring up dead leaves with a rustle that made the night all the more sinister.
The six members of the Seventh Squad advanced in silence under Li Yifan's lead, like ghosts slipping through the dark. They wore dark, close-fitting clothes, their faces smeared with anti-glare paint. Their steps were light, and they did everything they could to conceal their presence. Qian Xiaoliu, serving as the vanguard, crept ahead dozens of yards to scout the way. His sharp eyes, still keen in the darkness, swept constantly over every movement around them.
Their target was the stretch of primeval mountain forest to the northeast known as Misty Forest. According to their investigations over the past several days, the lair of the Tendon Refining Realm Evil Cultivator was very likely hidden deep within this forest, shrouded in year-round mist and rife with danger.
An hour later, the outline of a seemingly endless forest blanketed in gray-white fog appeared at the edge of their vision. Though they were still far away, they could already feel the damp, icy air wafting from the area—a presence utterly out of place with its surroundings.
"Stop." Li Yifan signaled, and the squad immediately took cover behind a rocky slope about a hundred yards from Misty Forest. From there, they could make out the main pass leading into the forest.
"This is the place." Li Yifan lowered his voice. "Qian Xiaoliu, take the high ground and watch the forest's edge, especially the paths leading toward Red Leaf Town and Sunset Village. Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, set an ambush behind the rocks on the left flank. Chen Feng, Zhang Tie, hide in the bushes on the right. I'll cover the middle. Remember, keep your Mind-Clearing Talismans close. Don't use your true qi unless necessary, or you might give yourselves away and alert the evil creatures."
"Yes!" The others replied quietly, then quickly took their positions. Qian Xiaoliu climbed a tree near the forest's edge like a nimble ape and disappeared among the thick branches. Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi concealed themselves behind a pile of rocks, their blades and shields slightly unsheathed, their breathing steady. Chen Feng and Zhang Tie slipped into the bushes on the right, long blades at the ready as they held their breath. Li Yifan hid behind a massive boulder. The Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique flowed slowly through him, keeping his mind clear as his awareness spread outward like a spiderweb.
Time drifted by in tense silence. From the forest came only the wind and the cries of nameless insects, sometimes punctuated by the call of an owl, making the place seem all the more desolate and eerie. Damp fog slowly spread out from the forest depths, carrying a strange smell of rotting earth mingled with a sickly sweetness.
They had waited about an hour. As midnight drew near, when the yin energy was at its strongest, a sudden change broke the stillness!
Li Yifan, who had been concentrating on his surroundings, suddenly furrowed his brow. He sensed an exceedingly faint yet bone-chilling aura of evil quietly spilling out from deep within Misty Forest and drifting toward Red Leaf Town. It was exactly like the aura he had sensed at the mass grave in Clear Creek Village, only more concentrated—and more... active!
"Something's coming out!" Li Yifan sent the warning through the squad's agreed-upon signal.
At almost the same moment, Qian Xiaoliu gave a faint birdcall from his tree, signaling that he had spotted the target.
The others tensed and peered into the darkness. At the boundary where the forest's thick fog met the night, three vague shadows crawled out. Their movements were somewhat stiff, but they were not slow. In the faint light, their outlines were just visible: humanlike in shape, but more hunched over, crawling on all fours. Their skin had a slick, dark-green sheen that reflected the dim light. They reeked of something nauseating and foul, and radiated that familiar, sinister aura!
They were the same scaled evil creatures. There were three of them!
Once they left the forest, they did not immediately split up. They gathered together, turning their heads as if sniffing for something. After a moment, they picked a direction—the small road leading to Red Leaf Town—and began crawling faster, their movements swift and uncanny.
"Captain, should we follow?" Zhao Xiong asked quietly, his hand on his hilt.
Li Yifan's gaze sharpened as he weighed the options. The three creatures were probably at the middle to late stages of Body Refining. The squad could take them down without much trouble. But a reckless attack might alert the Evil Cultivator deeper in the forest. Their mission was to find the lair.
"Qian Xiaoliu, keep watch from a distance. Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, move in from the left and cut off their way back into the forest. Chen Feng, Zhang Tie, circle around with me from the right. We won't engage yet. We'll follow them and see where they go to prey on people, then trace them back to their source!" Li Yifan quickly gave his orders, choosing the more cautious approach.
"Understood!"
The squad moved at once. Qian Xiaoliu slipped silently between the treetops, an arrow always trained loosely on the three creatures. Using the rocks and terrain for cover, Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi moved toward the left flank without a sound. Li Yifan led Chen Feng and Zhang Tie through the shadows on the right like leopards, moving at great speed without making much noise.
The three creatures seemed barely intelligent. They did not notice they were being followed, and simply crawled quickly along the road, heading straight toward Red Leaf Town, several miles away.
After about fifteen minutes of pursuit, they reached a relatively open hollow with a stream running through its center. The creatures stopped at the water's edge and bent their heads to drink, apparently replenishing their fluids.
Just then, another sudden change erupted!
A shrill scream suddenly rang out from the dense woods across the stream, followed by the clash of weapons and angry shouts! Faint flashes of fire and colliding true qi flickered in the darkness!
"Not good! Someone's under attack over there!" Li Yifan's expression changed. It seemed the creatures prowling for victims tonight weren't limited to this group!
The three creatures drinking from the stream were startled by the commotion across the water. They immediately raised their heads and made a raspy, unpleasant "hrr-hrr" sound, seeming agitated and uneasy.
"Captain, what now? We don't know what's happening across the stream. These three might run—or go to help!" Qian Xiaoliu's voice carried through the night wind.
The situation had grown complicated in an instant. Should they keep following these three, or go help whoever might be under attack across the stream?
Li Yifan made his decision at once. "We can't let them go on hurting people! Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, block their escape! Qian Xiaoliu, take one out from a distance! Chen Feng, Zhang Tie, with me! We'll finish this fast, then check the other side!"
"Attack!"
At Li Yifan's command, Qian Xiaoliu's bowstring thrummed. An Evil-Breaking Crossbow Bolt shot soundlessly toward the back of the last creature's head like a black streak of lightning!
"Thwack!" The bolt pierced it cleanly, and the evil-breaking runes on it flared at once. The creature didn't even get a chance to scream. Its head burst like a rotten watermelon, spraying filthy blood everywhere. It hit the ground, twitched a few times, then lay still.
The other two creatures were startled and began to roar, but Li Yifan was already upon them like a gale! His saber leapt from its sheath. His Burning Wood Saber Technique, mastered to perfection, swept out in a blaze of steel, aiming straight for one creature's neck! The creature reacted quickly enough to raise its claws and block, but how could it withstand the sharp edge infused with Nine Yang True Qi?
"Clang! Crack!"
Its claws were severed, and the blade's momentum did not falter. A hideous head flew into the air!
Chen Feng and Zhang Tie joined blades and held the last creature at bay. It attacked in a frenzy, driven by its feral nature, but Chen Feng's saber work was swift and Zhang Tie's foundation solid. The two fought in perfect unison, keeping it pinned down.
Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi had already blocked its escape, preventing it from fleeing back into the forest.
Just as they were about to wipe out all three creatures, a shrill, piercing howl rang out from the direction of Misty Forest! It carried a powerful mental assault and a baleful aura, rattling their minds!
Then an icy pressure, dozens of times stronger than that of the three creatures, surged out of the forest like a tide and instantly enveloped the hollow!
"Not good! It's the Evil Cultivator! We've alerted him!" Li Yifan's heart tightened. That aura belonged to an Evil Cultivator in the early stage of the Tendon Refining Realm!
The fighting across the stream also stopped abruptly, as if the attackers had been stunned by the howl or summoned back.
Hearing the howl, the remaining creature seemed to be called back. It tried to break through at all costs and charge toward the forest.
"We can't let it get back and warn them!" Li Yifan knew that if the creature escaped, the Evil Cultivator would realize they had set an ambush, and tracking him would become much harder.
He sprang forward, pushing Spirit Fox Steps to its limit, and intercepted the creature before it could get away. At the same time, Nine Yang True Qi surged through his body, and he drove the Iron Bone Technique to its peak. A faint bronze sheen spread across his skin. He took the creature's frenzied claw strike head-on. The blow landed with a dull thud, but he only rocked slightly! His blade flashed, and the Scorching Sun Finger was hidden within the slash as he thrust toward the creature's heart!
"Pfft!"
The searing force pierced through it, making its whole body shudder and lock up. Chen Feng and Zhang Tie struck together with their blades, cutting it down at once.
All three creatures were annihilated!
But before the squad could catch their breath, the terrifying pressure of the Tendon Refining Realm drew closer and closer! Through the thick fog, a black-robed figure appeared and disappeared from view. A pair of eyes flickering with ghastly green fire locked onto Li Yifan from afar!
"Xuntian Guard trash, you again! You dare kill my servants and ruin my plans! Today, I'll tear out your souls and refine them!" His hoarse, venomous voice blew over them like a freezing wind from the deepest hell.
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